2007 - 2008 Salary Schedule

Article 31 - Salary

31-1 Annual Compensation Adjustments. 

1. Effective September 1, 200, the salary schedule shall receive a 4% increase as shown on the schedule below.   
2. Education increments will be available in January and June according to the procedures set forth in Article 31-4.
3. Regular experience steps shall be granted September 1, 2007. 
4. Longevity increments shall be granted September 1, 2007unless the anniversary date of employment is different as set forth in Article 31-5.

The salary schedule below shall be effective September 1, 2007

(See MOU on Step 14 Contingency)

31-2  Teachers in residence (TIR) newly hired by the District for the 2002-2003 school year and thereafter will be placed on the appropriate “TIR Step” of the salary schedule.  Teachers in residence will remain on the “TIR Step” until they receive a Colorado teacher license.  Except for the provisions of Article 31-1-c, when teachers in residence receive a Colorado teacher license they will be advanced immediately to the appropriate educational column and the experience step commensurate with their experience with the District and approved outside experience.

31-3   Salary Schedule Placement and Advancement.

Teachers shall be placed and advanced on the salary schedule based on their experience in teaching and level of education in accordance with Board policy.  Before the Board makes any change to existing policies regarding placement and advancement, the Association must be notified and given opportunity to discuss any proposed changes with the Board.  Guidelines for placement and advancement will be provided to the Association, posted, and provided to any teacher who requests it.  Changes made during the year must be distributed to the Association, posted, and provided to any teacher who requests it within thirty (30) days following adoption by the Board.  

31-4     Education Increments.

Teachers shall receive education increments on the next scheduled payday that is at least twenty-five (25) days after the teacher has submitted all required transcripts and necessary paperwork to the Department of Human Resources.  

31-4-1  Teachers may elect to earn credit for District inservice at the rate of fifteen (15) hours contact time for one hour of semester credit, which may be used for advancement on the salary schedule to any educational column.  Should compensation for inservice be required as otherwise described in this Agreement, the teacher may elect to earn credit in lieu of pay.  

31-5     Longevity Increments.

Longevity Increments are awarded after the completion of 15 years of Denver Public Schools experience and each five-year period thereafter.  Payment of longevity increments shall be the next month following the employee’s anniversary date.

31-5-1 Effective September 1, 2007, the value of each longevity increment reflects an increase of 4%.  For each teacher this means that of the longevity increments earned prior to September 1, 2002, awarded after the completion of 15 years of Denver Public Schools experience and each five year period thereafter.  The most recent one earned will be valued at $1,309 and all prior longevity increments will be valued at $741.  The value of each longevity increment earned on or after September 1, 2002, will be $1,309.

31-6     Compensation of Newly Hired Teachers.

Teachers newly hired by the District will be paid for up to thirty (30) hours of orientation days under Article 8-1-1.  Such payment will be based on the teacher inservice education rate.  

31-6-1  The District shall seek advice from the Association in the development of new teacher pre-service, induction and inservice programs.  

31-6-2  All teachers required to participate in the Induction Program will be paid at the inservice rate specified in Article 32.          

31-6-3  In lieu of inservice pay, teachers may elect to earn credit for District inservice at the rate of fifteen (15) hours contact time for one (1) hour of semester credit, which may be used for advancement on the salary schedule to any educational column.  

31-7     Incentives for National Board Certification  

31-7-1  The District will support up to five (5) candidates for National Board Certification with a grant of $1,000 each.  The Association will support up to five (5) candidates for National Board Certification who are members of the Association with a grant of $500 each.  

31-7-2  Teachers who obtain National Board Certification and continue to hold valid certification shall be placed on the next higher education column.  A teacher in the doctorate column shall receive an additional 7% increase to his/her annual salary.  

31-8     Market Incentives for English Language Acquisition – Spanish (ELA-S) Teachers.

The District shall pay market incentives to qualified teachers who serve in English Language Acquisition – Spanish (ELA-S) assignments.  Beginning with the completion of the 2002-03 school year, teachers will be paid the incentive on their July check.  

31-8-1  Effective September 1, 2003, teachers who have successfully completed the Spanish Language Proficiency Test or any other district approved assessment will be considered qualified.  

31-8-2  On completion of one full year of teaching in an ELA-S assignment, a teacher will receive a five hundred dollar ($500) incentive.    

31-8-3  On completion of two or more years of service in an ELA-S assignment, a teacher will receive an eight hundred dollar ($800) incentive for additional service.  Teachers will not need to serve in consecutive years to receive the increased incentive.

31-9     Freezing Teacher Compensation for Unsatisfactory Performance.

Any teacher who received an unsatisfactory performance appraisal and is on a remediation plan is not eligible for and will not receive an experience increment.  All other teachers who receive an unsatisfactory performance appraisal and are on a remediation plan will not receive the scheduled cost of living adjustment.  It is the intent of the parties that this Article shall not result in a reduction of a teacher’s current salary.  When the teacher successfully completes the remediation plan, the teacher will be placed on the appropriate step, with the correct longevity at the current rate, effective at the beginning of the month following such successful completion.  

31-10    Compensation for Unused Sick Leave.

The sick leave annuity plan begun for teachers in 1980 will be continued unless modified pursuant to Article 6.  Effective September 1, 1994, each teacher electing retirement will be provided compensation for accumulated sick leave days as follows:  

31-10-1  When the teacher has met the requirements for retirement in the District, that teacher shall be eligible for compensation for accumulated sick leave.  

31-10-2  A maximum payment of Fourteen Thousand Dollars ($14,000) will be made by the District for teachers who have accumulated one (1) year or more of unused sick leave upon retirement.  

31-10-3  The payment of Fourteen Thousand Dollars ($14,000) shall be reduced by 1/184 for each day less than an accumulation of one hundred eighty-four (184) days.  

31-10-4   Prior Accumulation.

Because of the changes in short leaves and in recognition of sick leave that was accumulated prior to December 31, 1990, any teacher who accumulated sick leave days in excess of one hundred eighty-four (184) days up to and including December 31, 1990, shall continue to be credited with such accumulation. Such accumulation shall be eligible for payment on a prorated basis at the rate of 1/184 of Fourteen Thousand Dollars ($14,000) for each day, provided the teacher is otherwise eligible to participate in the Plan.

31-10-5 Payment Options.

Upon retirement, teachers may choose one of four options for payment of their compensation for unused sick leave, subject to provisions of the IRS code.

• Single sum payment  
• Payment in equal thirds over a three year consecutive period beginning with the first year of retirement  
• Deferring the unused sick leave payout into a 403(b) plan, 401(k) plan or other approved plan  
• Placement of the unused sick leave amount into a 503(c)(9) trust to subsidize future health insurance costs for the employee  

31-10-5-1 The District and the Association shall coordinate efforts to communicate information with respect to payment options to teachers.

31-10-5-2 Simple Trust.  By January 1, 2004, the District and the Association shall establish a Simple Trust for the purpose of holding jointly managed fund contributions.  A board composed of two teachers from the Benefits Board appointed by the DCTA President and two administrators from the Benefits Board appointed by the Superintendent shall govern the trust.  

31-11   Work Group to Consider Options for Calculating Highest Average Salary

The District and the Association shall establish a joint work group to consider options for working methods used by the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) for calculating highest average salary.  The work group should consider topics including but not limited to:

• Inclusion of unused sick leave at the rate of .0015 per day
• Inclusion of summer service
• Inclusion of service credit  

The work group will complete its charge in time for consideration by the negotiations teams in the spring of 2004.  

31-12   Teacher Education Fund. 

The Teacher Education Fund of Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000) will be continued unless modified pursuant to Article 6.  The fund will operate as a trust fund and the interest will be available for teachers to further their education, consistent with District objectives.  The guidelines for application and awarding scholarships will be developed by a joint committee with equal representation from the Association and appointments by the Superintendent and the guidelines will be sent to the Superintendent for final approval.  

31-12-1  Teachers will only be reimbursed for courses relevant to the District’s educational mission including preparation and/or assessments associated with meeting the standard of highly qualified teacher under No Child Left Behind.  The committee will include in its guidelines standards of relevancy for reimbursement.  

31-12-2  The District will provide clerical support to implement the committee’s decisions.  Such clerical support will not exceed twenty (20) hours per month.  

31-13  Transportation Allowance.  

31-13-1  Teachers whose duties require travel between two (2) or more schools shall be reimbursed at the IRS standard mileage rate  for the use of their automobile.  

31-13-2  Teachers authorized transportation allowance are required to carry bodily injury automobile liability insurance in accordance with State Law.  An up-to-date proof of insurance must be provided to the approving supervisor in order to be eligible for this program.    

31-13-3  The District agrees to add teachers to its automobile liability insurance coverage when these teachers are required to transport students as part of the course and scope of employment.  The District will add these teachers by job description or name.  Proof of underlying insurance is required from each authorized teacher at the level of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000)/person, Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000)/occurrence and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000)/property.  Each authorized teacher will receive a thirty dollars ($30.00) stipend per month in addition to mileage.  

31-13-4  Teachers authorized transportation allowance but not owning or driving an automobile are reimbursed for actual bus fare expenditures.  

31-14  Early Notification of Retirement

Any teacher who is eligible for retirement benefits and submits a retirement request effective the end of the school year for action by the Board at its April legislative meeting shall be eligible for a severance pay stipend of One Thousand Two-Hundred Dollars ($1,200.00) payable at the time of retirement.  The application deadline is February 15.  

31-15    The District will provide to DCTA, prior to the start of negotiations, an accounting of vacancy/turnover savings as used in the budget estimates according to a methodology agreed to by the District and DCTA.

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